ENLARGING THE CHURCH
It’s not every day that you build a church in Thailand. But that’s exactly what Henk de Vries, founder of The Bulldog, did. Here’s the story of how that happened.
A SPECIAL ENCOUNTER
Henk was never one to stay at home doing crosswords. He loves to get out there to meet people all around the world and experience their cultures. Thailand, Indonesia and Canada hold a special place in Henk’s heart and he regularly goes back to visit those countries.
It was during one of his visits to Thailand that Henk’s caring nature would impact an entire community.
A SERVICE IN THE OPEN AIR
There’s a tribe in Thailand known as the Longnecks, which is famous for the women wearing golden rings around their necks that make their necks unusually long. Henk paid the tribe a visit and he was walking around the village when something caught his attention.
A large group of people was gathered outside in front of a building called “Mother, help of Christians”. Henk was surprised to hear that they were all attending a church ceremony, but were forced to stay outside. There simply wasn’t enough space to accommodate all those attending.
WITHOUT A DOUBT
There was no doubt in Henk’s mind what he needed to do. He immediately decided to make a donation that covered the costs of enlarging the church, so it could fit all the villagers who wanted to attend.
In the end, the donation proved big enough to build a completely new church building where the entire community would have a place to sit. A lasting example of Henk’s selfless spirit.